Natural Selection: The Undoing of Heaven and Earth
by Drone-LTD
Summary: A stranger appears at the Masaki household one winter night, with lethal business to take care of. (Chapter 2 is now up.)
1. Chapter 1

Natural Selection: The Undoing of Heaven and Earth.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
-----  
  
The snow fell softly, silent in both its descent and collision with the   
foot-high drifts already built up on the ground. The tree limbs all had several   
inches of the white powder upon them, and were bowed slightly at the extra   
weight. Pale-grey clouds swept slowly across the sky, releasing their   
crystalline structures with an ambivalent attitude, caring not to stop its weak   
assault nor increase the intensity.   
  
"Ryo-ohki! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"   
  
A small white object blundered across the snowdrifts, making hindered   
leaps through the tall obstacle in it's path. It sunk into the powder   
periodically and was forced to clamber back up to the top before continuing it's   
travel. After a few minutes, the object finally burst out of a drift and landed   
onto one of the defined paths that wove through the forest. The path had been   
cleared earlier, and the snow had only been able to build up a few inches, to   
the little creature's relief. It made a few sounds of satisfaction before   
shaking itself, the long ears sending clumps of snow in all directions and   
finally uncovering a coat of brown fur.  
  
"Ryo-ohhhhhki!"  
  
"Mew?" The small cabbit looked down the path, where sounds of laughter and   
crunching snow were quickly growing louder and closer. Ryo-ohki mewed again,   
enthralled by the current game of hide-and-seek, and turned to run down the path   
in the opposite direction. He only managed one leap before running headlong into   
a solid obstacle and sprawling into a heap at the base. Ryo-ohki rolled to his   
feet and shook his head before looking up at the object in his path.   
  
"Ryo-ohki, there you are!" A blue-haired young girl came bounding up the   
path, dressed in a pink and blue snowsuit. She ran up to Ryo-ohki and took him   
up into her arms, laughing as he nuzzled up against her cheek and mewed happily.   
The girl giggled a few more times, then noticed the reason why Ryo-ohki had   
stopped running.  
  
"Oh, hi there! You must've found Ryo-ohki for me! I'm Sasami!" she said   
energetically.  
  
*****  
  
"I can't stand this horrid weather. All dank and wet and-- achoo!"  
  
The Masaki house sat in place, held tight by the blanket of snow that   
rested upon it. The light snow had finally increased it's intensity, and a sharp   
wind had picked up, tossing the small snowflakes into a blizzard. The sky was   
darkening quickly as the still hidden sun slowly fell behind the horizon, the   
golden rays blocked by the dark grayness of the cloud cover.  
  
"Yeah, I guess Jurai never really had winter, did it?"  
  
A large fire was blazing within the confines of the fireplace, projecting   
it's warmth into the living room and adding to the cozy atmosphere. The couch   
had been pulled closer to the fireplace, and a large bundle of blankets was   
piled on the end closest to the conflagration. Through a separation in two of   
the blanket folds, a pair of deep maroon eyes could be seen, only half open. The   
heap of blankets shivered, and then jolted as the sound of another sneeze filled   
the air.  
  
"If it weren't so cold, I wouldn't pay it any mind at all," a definitely   
feminine but subdued voice emanated from the dark recesses of the thick fabrics.  
  
Tenchi Masaki stood before the blanket pile, an awkward smile on his face   
as he tried to look as helpful as possible. "Um, Lady Ayeka, can I get you   
anything? Something to drink, maybe?"   
  
The blanket pile shifted again, and became taller as the person within sat   
up straight and put on a voice of independence. "Oh I'm fine, Lord Tenchi. In   
fact, I believe this nasty virus is already starting to.. to.. achoo!!" The   
blanket pile shrunk back down to its earlier height as a low, miserable moan   
followed the sneeze.  
  
Tenchi sighed and put the cordless phone back up to his ear. "Yeah, just   
like you said, Grandpa... yeah? Uh, okay, if you say so.."  
  
Taking a few more steps into the living room, Tenchi approached the   
blanket pile that hid Ayeka, holding his hand over the phone mouthpiece.   
"Grandpa says that if you want to get better, you can't just sit there all   
night. And, that he knows what he's talking about so you should listen to him."   
At the sound of the resistant murmuring that replied, Tenchi sighed again,   
grabbed the top fabric fold with one hand, and yanked it completely off of   
Ayeka, who let out an "eep" of protest. "Sorry Ayeka, but Gramps told me to. And   
he says to get yourself a hot bath running and soak in it for a while. The steam   
will do you well enough until Tenchi can make.. er, until *I* can make you some   
tea, I mean."  
  
Ayeka grumbled to herself as she tried to smooth out her wrinkled robes,   
but finally stood and half-bowed in reply before shuffling her way toward the   
bathroom. Unfortunately, she didn't even make it halfway there before a sing-  
song, mocking voice manifested itself around her.  
  
"Oh, poor dear, Her Highness is sick? That's too bad."   
  
Ayeka's red-rimmed eyes half-closed in annoyance as a certain white-haired   
demoness materialized in front of her, levitating at eye level, though upside-  
down and in a sitting position. Ryoko was smirking, clearly enjoying Ayeka's   
current appearance. "Why, you look dreadful, Highness! Bleary eyes, red face,   
and your hair is a mess! You really should get some beauty sleep. A *lot* of   
it."  
  
"Oooooh!" Ayeka was gritting her teeth and trying her best to look   
formidable, which wasn't entirely successful in her present mood and health.   
Getting angrier at Ryoko's humored reaction, Ayeka finally just threw down her   
hands and stomped past the floating demoness. "I won't waste my energy lowering   
myself to your level, you.. you... achoo!!"  
  
Ryoko's victorious laughter was somewhat countered by Ayeka's exhasperated   
cry of outrage as she quickly entered the bathroom and slammed the door behind   
her, ending the battle. Tenchi sighed to himself as Ryoko vanished, then   
appeared above him, still chuckling to herself as her long silver hair dropped   
down upon Tenchi.  
  
"Can't you two ever get along?" Tenchi sighed, brushing Ryoko's hair out   
of his eyes as he walked over to the large window set into the wall. Ryoko only   
muttered something to herself and crossed her arms.  
  
"Sorry about that, Grandpa," Tenchi said into the phone mouthpiece,   
peering out into the darkness. "Ryoko and Ayeka, they were arguing again.. uh-  
huh... Yeah, the snow's getting pretty thick out there, from all I can see..   
What? Oh, not till morning, huh? Okay, I can probably hold down the fort until   
tomorrow... Sasami? Yeah, she's still out playing in the snow... Sure, I can go   
right now... Okay, sure. Say hi to dad for me, too. Bye Grandpa."  
  
Tenchi pressed the Off button on the phone and set it on the end table   
next to him. He really didn't want to go out into the harsh, cold, snowy night,   
but he knew that making sure Sasami was safe was more important then a bit of   
discomfort on his part. He nodded to himself, and was about to get his heavy   
snow-clothes from the hall closet when the sound of the front door opening and   
then slamming shut came into the room.  
  
"I'm home, everyone!" Sasami's happy voice came into room, quickly   
followed by Sasami herself, who had already shed most of her excess snow build-  
up before entering. Ryo-ohki bounded in beside her, mewing as it shook the snow   
off of its fur.  
  
"Sasami!" Tenchi exclaimed, noticeably relieved. "We were getting worried   
about you, it's dangerous to be out in this kind of weather at night."  
  
Sasami giggled and started removing her snow suit and boots. "Oh, I was   
alright, cause I found a new friend out in the woods! He found Ryo-ohki, and   
then he helped me get back here after it got dark!"  
  
A tall figure moved into view behind Sasami, casting a shadow over her as   
the others in the room turned their attention. He was dressed in an outfit   
slightly uncommon for the current weather, but still fairly accommodating: black   
leather boots, black denim jeans, black shirt, topped off with a long black   
leather duster. The person's long, though quite curly dark-brown hair was pulled   
back into a ponytail and encrusted with snow, along with his clothing and large   
duffel bag he carried in one of his gloved hands. He looked back at the   
questioning glances with sharp grey eyes, glancing at everyone in the room until   
Tenchi stepped forward.  
  
"Um, hi there. I guess we have you to thank for getting Sasami back home,"   
Tenchi said, giving a bit of a welcome smile. He was glad that he didn't have to   
worry about Sasami's safety now. He also remembered that Grandpa had just told   
him that he was "man of the house" for the night, and to use his best judgement   
for anything that came up. The blizzard *was* pretty bad, and it wasn't like   
housing one more person for the night would be a problem, or even anything out   
of the ordinary. "Oh, and if you aren't in any hurry, we'd be happy to let you   
stay here and wait for the weather to calm down. The storm shouldn't be so bad   
in the morning."  
  
The newcomer, who looked to be somewhere around 20 years old, looked back   
at Tenchi for a moment before nodding. "Appreciate it." His voice was low and   
smooth, but had a tone of satisfaction in it, as if he was glad that the   
blizzard had threatened them when it did. "Name's Jessen."  
  
"Welcome to the Masaki house," Tenchi nodded, bowing a bit. "I'm Tenchi,   
and that's Ryoko. I'm sure you'll meet Ayeka and Washu later at dinner." He   
then looked down at Sasami, who had shed her snow suit and was standing in her   
now-damp t-shirt and shorts. "You'd better go change, Sasami, you don't want to   
catch a cold like Ayeka did. And show Jessen to the spare guest room so he   
doesn't have to carry around his bag."  
  
"Okay Tenchi! Come on Mr. Jessen!" Sasami grabbed Jessen's free hand and   
led him to the staircase, then up the stairs. Ryo-ohki bounded after them,   
mewing as it tried to keep up.  
  
"Well, I guess I'd better make some extra tea," Tenchi said, starting for   
the kitchen. "Ayeka's probably-- Ryoko? Is there something wrong?"  
  
Ryoko gave no indication of even hearing the question as she stared at the   
top of the stairs intently, her eyes narrowed and her brow knit together.  
  
*****  
  
"*Accessing Primary System ... Awaiting Security Confirmation...   
Confirmed...*"   
  
Jessen pushed a button on the small remote he held in his gloved hand.   
Upon the floor of the guest room he now stood in, a large metal tripod stood   
erect, with a thin spike set within the three legs. At another button press, the   
legs of the tripod folded quickly, driving the spike through the carpet and into   
the wood floor with a dull thunk. Upon the flat base of the spike, a red   
holographic cube appeared, slowly spinning upon one point. One more button push   
on the remote, and the cube turned from red to a pulsing green color. Jessen   
slipped the small remote into a pocket, and went over to the bed, upon which his   
open duffel bag sat.  
  
"*Searching Recent Exchange Database... Expected Transfer From C-56-7...   
Recieved.*"  
  
"Good." With the front payment in his possession, he could move to the   
final part of his job: Finish the hit quickly, and be gone before anyone even   
knew he had been there. Jessen pressed a clip into the large handgun he now   
held, and looked it over. The silver Magnum Research Desert Eagle .50 Action   
Express gleamed in the overhead light as Jessen flexed his hand on the black   
rubber grip. It was big gun, with big recoil, that put big fucking holes in   
anything that got in the way of the bullets. Exactly how he preferred. Removing   
another identical gun from his bag, Jessen pulled back the hammer on both,   
making sure they each had a bullet chambered before sliding them into the dual-  
holster he wore at the back of his waist. As he stood up, the black duster swept   
forward into it's normal hanging position, concealing any traces of the weapons   
he held. Leaving his bag upon the bed, Jessen exited the room and stepped out   
into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He would have ample time to get   
his things after he finished his work.  
  
His steps were silent as he walked down the carpeted hall, the only sounds   
coming from the folds of his clothing as they brushed against each other. But he   
only had gotten about halfway down the hall before the air shifted, and a figure   
materialized at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Hello Ryoko," Jessen said, stopping his approach as the demoness took a   
few steps toward him.  
  
"Jessen." Ryoko was slightly hesitant in her speech, as if she were unsure   
of what she should say. At Jessen's adamant gaze, she broke eye contact and   
looked at the floor, rubbing one of her arms.  
  
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"  
  
Ryoko raised her head back up to look at him. Of course it had been a   
while. It was over 700 years ago when her and Yosho crashed on Earth and she had   
become imprisoned within the Masaki shrine. And she hadn't seen Jessen since a   
week before, during their last job together.  
  
"What... what are you doing here?"  
  
Jessen was quiet for a moment, then slowly walked forward until he was but   
a foot away from her. "..business. And you, I remember hearing that your   
spaceship had crashed here. And with you fighting a royal warrior of Jurai, no   
less. You're quite skilled to have survived."  
  
A small smile appeared on Ryoko's face, her cheeks becoming a bit red at   
the compliment. He had always had that effect on her, ever since she first met   
him.  
  
"I have little time," Jessen said as he stepped to one side and moved past   
her. "My business must be attended to. I just hope that you haven't formed any   
sort of attachment to the one named Tenchi during your time here."  
  
"No!" Ryoko gasped, spinning to face Jessen as he took the first step down   
the staircase. She took a quick step forward, but stopped when Jessen halted his   
decent to look over his shoulder at her, his face set in a stony glare.  
  
"...it seems you have. Don't interfere, Ryoko. You know what will happen."  
  
She did know what would happen. She had worked with him enough times to   
know what he was capable of. But if she didn't do something, then Tenchi would--   
Tenchi. Visions of Tenchi started flooding into Ryoko's mind, visions of   
everything that had happened since they had first met. All the things that she   
had loved... she couldn't give those up, no matter what her instincts told her.  
  
*****  
  
Draw guns. Fire. Wait for body to fall. Eliminate interference. Leave.   
  
Jessen reached behind his waist, gripping both guns in their holsters as   
he walked toward the kitchen. He could hear a voice from beyond the open   
doorway, the one he seeked. Not a sound was made as he pulled his twin weapons   
out into the open and stepped through the kitchen doorway, the bottom of his   
duster swishing back into place. Tenchi stood at the other end of the room, his   
back turned as he prepared the tea and remained oblivious to Jessen's presence.  
  
"Heaven and Earth," Jessen said softly as he aimed his silver guns at   
Tenchi's exposed back. "Prepare yourself for Hell."  
  
Jessen breathed out, and pulled both triggers. And although the combined   
gunshot that rang out easily concealed the thick thud of the fist smashing into   
the side of Jessen's head, it failed to hide Tenchi's pained yell that came   
almost immediately after.  
  
The few moments afterward drew themselves farther as they happened,   
seeming to play out in slow-motion. Ryoko was now standing in the kitchen   
doorway, her right hand balled into a tight fist and her face contorted into one   
of fear as she realized the situation. Tenchi halfway spun as he fell, the   
kitchen floor already staining with the dark red blood splattering onto it.   
Jessen lurched sideways from the blow, his feet leaving the floor momentarily as   
he solidly smacked into the nearby wall and lost hold on his guns.  
  
"No!" Ryoko yelled as she saw Tenchi's bleeding form hit the floor,   
bouncing slightly before going motionless. She unclenched her fist and started   
to run toward Tenchi, but a sudden blow to her stomach doubled her over. Jessen   
had recovered quickly from the surprise attack, shown in painful detail as he   
pulled his bent knee away from Ryoko's midsection.  
  
"You shouldn't have interfered, Ryoko," Jessen said before pulling Ryoko   
up in front of him and thrusting both hands forward. The powerful open-hand palm   
thrusts slammed into Ryoko's chest, sending her flying through the kitchen   
doorway like a rag doll before she landed in the living room.  
  
Pain shot through Ryoko's torso as she slowly pushed herself up, getting   
onto her hands and knees and raising her head. She knew she had to distract   
Jessen for as long as possible, to get him away from Tenchi. Something inside   
her was saying that he was still alive, and that she needed to keep Jessen from   
finishing him off. If only she coul--  
  
Ryoko's thoughts were abruptly interuppted as a vicious kick to the face   
sent her flying backward, smacking into the wall and collapsing to the ground on   
her back. A trickle of blood was now escaping her nose, the thin red line slowly   
running down her face and dripping upon the carpet. Her head throbbed as she   
opened her eyes, and the ceiling fuzzed and blurred as she tried to keep her   
vision in focus.  
  
Jessen stood in the middle of the room, looking at the fallen Ryoko with a   
blank face. Not a trace of emotion was present in his visage, not pleasure, not   
regret, not satisfaction. He took the few steps over to Ryoko's body and reached   
down with one hand, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her first into a   
standing position, then higher, completely off the ground.  
  
"You tried to protect him, Ryoko," he said in an even tone, increasing the   
pressure on her neck as Ryoko struggled to pry his iron grip apart. "You knew   
what would happen, and yet you tried anyway. I do congratulate you on your   
efforts, but your actions might only have been worth it if you had managed to   
prevent me from ending his worthless life. I almost feel pity for you, Ryoko,   
having to die for such a pathetic soul as him."  
  
While Jessen spoke, Ryoko's face had lost the look of pain and been   
replaced by one of intense anger. Her teeth were clenched together and bared,   
and her breath seethed past her constricted esophagus. As she stared into   
Jessen's eyes, she could see the disgust that regarded her, the kind of disgust   
that only was born of someone's self-righteous morality when looking upon   
something obviously inferior to itself. The respect, admiration, and small   
amounts of fear that Jessen had commanded in her those 700 years ago had already   
vanished from her mind. Every other emotion she held had been replaced by her   
vivid anger; Anger for what he had done to Tenchi, and what he was doing to her   
now.  
  
"Halt!" came an interuppting voice. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Ayeka was now across the room, standing within the hallway entrance with   
her arm extended toward Jessen's back. Her purple hair, dripping wet from the   
bath, hung loosely, strands sticking to her face while the majority fell down   
over the shoulders of the plain white bathrobe she wore. Her overall appearance   
earlier had already been brought down a bit by her cold, but with the   
combination of her wet face, plain clothes, plastered hair, and red-rimmed eyes,   
she looked even less intimidating than before. The sneeze that followed her   
statement didn't help much, either.  
  
Jessen turned around to face Ayeka, still holding Ryoko up by the neck as   
he looked Ayeka over with a scrutinizing eye. "Well well well, Princess Ayeka.   
It's a pleasure seeing you again. Last time I saw you, you were merely a child.   
But now, it seems that you've already flowered into a lovely example of   
womanhood."  
  
The empty compliment fell on unhearing ears. Ayeka had recognized Jessen   
the moment he turned around, her face turning into one of both surprise and   
fear. She tried to back away, but her back was already pressed against the side   
of the staircase. Yes, she knew him. Everyone with the royal blood of Jurai in   
their veins knew him, and what he had done to their heritege. Ayeka's eyes were   
locked with Jessen's, her entire body standing transfixed under the icy cold   
stare. She still wasn't aware of his intentions, and it showed.  
  
Jessen looked at her for a few seconds before snorting. "Don't worry,   
little princess, I'm not here to take your life. You wouldn't be standing there   
if I were. My job here is already done, save for a bit of clean up work. And I   
think you'll be better off if you don't harbor the same feelings for Tenchi that   
Ryoko had." He clenched his grip down hard upon Ryoko's throat for emphasis,   
prompting another loud choking gurgle from the demoness.   
  
"T- tenchi?" Ayeka gasped. "No... no!! I.. I don't believe you!" She did   
believe him, though, deep down in her heart. She tried to tell herself that   
Jessen was lying, but she knew firsthand of what he had done in the past, and   
that he had no reason to say it if it weren't true.  
  
"Believe me or don't, that's your decision. His life is over, regardless."  
  
"No.." Ayeka fell to her knees, her eyes already brimming with tears as   
waves of emotion swept over her. She could hear a frantic voice inside her mind   
calling out painfully for help, which instantly manifested itself into an   
equally painful, sobbing yell. "Azaka!! Kamidake!!"  
  
It didn't take longer than a half-second; the wall behind Jessen seemed to   
shatter inward as the two kanji-inscripted guardians of Jurai smashed their way   
into the room, the still-raging blizzard immediately making it's presence known   
as snow blew into the house. Jessen spun around to react, but was cut off as   
Ryoko swung her legs back and delivered a vicious double-footed kick into his   
stomach, forcing the air from his lungs and driving him back a step. Ryoko   
capitolized on her opening, wrenching herself from Jessen's momentarily loosened   
grip and vanishing just as electricity engulfed the area.  
  
Jessen's growling screams were half from pain and half from rage as the   
powerful currents of electricity enveloped him, driving him down to one knee.   
The twin guardians stood on either side of him, inching closer and closer as the   
voltage leapt from their bodies and drove into Jessen's cringing form. With each   
passing second, the guardians drew closer, and the electricity increased in   
intensity, elucting even louder yells of pain from their victim. After ten   
seconds of this, the light generated from the electricity had grown to blinding   
proportions, and Ayeka was forced to shield her still crying eyes with her arm   
to protect them.  
  
Several seconds more of noise and light, and then... silence. Ayeka slowly   
and cautiously lowered her arm to look at what had happened, shivering as the   
cold outside air settled into her damp body. Azaka and Kamidake were standing   
still as the snow swirled around them and their new captive. Jessen was   
motionless, on his knees between the two guardians with one arm sunken into   
each, up to the elbow. Restrained as he was, he was still leaning so far forward   
that his forehead was only inches from touching the floor. Tendrils of steam and   
smoke were rising from all three of them, the aftereffects of the electrical   
assault apparant in the chilling wind.  
  
Ayeka waited a moment, watching Jessen's unmoving form, before unsteadily   
getting to her feet. Tears ran down her cheeks as she walked over to him, her   
half-shuffling stride wavering slightly.  
  
"You." Ayeka spat out the word, her voice still choking up regardless of   
her attempts to mask her grief and hatred. She wiped her eyes and tried to put   
on a strong face, but it didn't last long. Breaking down into more quiet sobs,   
Ayeka managed to keep her current thoughts to herself and force herself to speak   
what was neccessary with her taut and scratchy voice. "Jessen Earl, by the name   
of the Royal Family of Jurai, and the power of the Jurian High Council... I   
hereby place you under arrest, for crimes against.. against.." Ayeka faltered   
and collapsed onto her knees with a sob, sitting back upon the floor with her   
face in her hands as she cried. Snow continued to blow inside the house,   
clinging to all surfaces it touched and only adding to the cold wind, but Ayeka   
didn't care. She didn't care that she had finally managed to entrap the assassin   
responsible for the numerous deaths within the Jurai royalty. She didn't care   
about the chilling elements assaulting her damp body. She didn't care about any   
of it. "Tenchi.."  
  
"Is... dead."  
  
No. Ayeka spread her fingers, blinking her still-crying eyes as she looked   
to the source of the icy voice that had spoken. Jessen was staring right back at   
her, teeth gritted together in anger. His arms were still sunk into the two   
Jurian guardians, and he started pulling against his bonds, trying to lean   
toward Ayeka, who was still shaking as she instinctively pressed herself back up   
against the side of the staircase.  
  
"Foolish criminal," Kamidake stated matter-of-factly as Jessen struggled.   
"He hasn't learned from his first experience."  
  
"For his actions against Princess Ayeka, we should not have been so light   
with him the first time." A faint glow surrounded Azaka as he replied. "I think   
he should be given a bit more correctional persuas-- persua--"  
  
Azaka's voice stuttered, and his aura disappeared, as thin trailings of   
electricity suddenly started to shoot out over his wooden exterior, spreading   
outward from where Jessen's arm disappeared into it. The electricity fizzled and   
crackled as it enwrapped first Azaka, and then Kamidake as well. Ayeka had been   
staring into Jessen's eyes since he had last spoken, seemingly entranced by the   
flaring anger contained within them and almost oblivious to her surroundings.   
Despite that, her attention was sharply drawn upward at the pained croak that   
called out to her.  
  
"Princess Ayek--"  
  
Kamidake's words were interrupted as Jessen pulled his arms in, then   
pushed outward with a growling yell. The sound of crackling electricity suddenly   
doubled in volume, as a large section of wood around Jessen's arms vaporized in   
a rush of surging power...  
  
*****  
  
*"I repeat, we have intercepted a confirmed energy trace from EC-Warrant   
#6392955, emanating from Colonized Planet 0315."*  
  
A slender finger pressed a sequence of buttons upon the computer pad, and   
a wireframe image of the Milky Way materialized upon the monitor imbedded into   
the dash control panel. Zooming in, it hovered over a planet numbered UP-4792   
momentarily as a small dot started blinking nearby it.  
  
*"Target is designated as Priority Alpha 1, so do not attempt to locate,   
approach, or apprehend without further instructions."*  
  
The blinking dot became a line as the screen started scrolling, the   
planets shifting as the line finally reached planet CP-0315 and stopped. Several   
lines of numbers began to appear next to the image, changing rapidly as the   
calculations ran through the computer.  
  
*"Any GP units within proximity of Colonized Planet 0315, immediately   
report to GP Port S-43828 for orders."*  
  
Somewhere within the massive rings of dust and debris that orbited the   
planet of Saturn, a small spacecraft unanchored itself from a sizable rock chunk   
and took flight.  
  
*****  
  
...quiet. The slight wind and heavy snow breezing into the room through   
the broken wall marked the only audible sound. Ayeka sat against the stairwell,   
her face in her hands as her tears continued to flow. She knew what had   
happened, even without seeing it. First Tenchi, and then her two beloved   
guardians. Her mind reeled about, coherent thought impossible as her emotions   
enveloped every part of her being.  
  
"A commendable effort, little princess."  
  
Ayeka's hands fell from her face as the words reached her ears. She slowly   
rose her head to look at the creater of the voice, blinking back tears to try   
and clear her vision as best she could. Jessen now loomed over her, a slight   
sneer upon his darkened face. The sleeves of his black duster has been mostly   
burned away by the release of energy, the now-melted ends only going down as far   
as mid-bicep. At the far end of the room, Azaka and Kamidake were laying on the   
floor, quiet and unmoving as smoke poured out of the two gaping craters that had   
been created in their sides.   
  
"Although for your purposes, wasted," Jessen continued, taking a step   
closer. "If the decision were up to me, I would end you right here and now."  
  
As his words ended, Jessen's hand shot forward, his open palm striking   
Ayeka in the forehead and forcefully clubbing her head against the stairwell   
before she could react. Ayeka's watery eyes immediately rolled up into her head   
as the quick double blow sent her spiraling into unconsciousness, her limp form   
tipping over and falling to the floor.  
  
"Fortunatly for you, preserving your life is in my best interests at the   
moment."  
  
And without another word, Jessen turned on his heels, rounded the corner,   
and dashed up the stairs, leaving the damaged room interior and three victims to   
bear the brunt of the harsh winter weather.  
  
Jessen wasn't pleased with the fact that he had been drawn out so easily.   
Galaxy Police now knew where he was, that much was obvious. He knew that his   
outburst of energy had easily triggered their tracing sensors, and it wouldn't   
be long before a sizeable force showed up to try and take him down. Each second   
wasted would now be one more second that GP would have to get to Earth and   
execute an attack.  
  
"JESSEN!!"  
  
But as with many things, "waste" is a subjective term. As soon as the   
sound presented itself, Jessen took one more step in his run down the hallway   
and pushed off of the floor with his foot, going airborne and slowly spinning in   
midair. He landed a few yards farther down the hallway and immediately slid into   
a ready stance, now facing in the opposite direction. He didn't have to wait   
long for his opponent to appear.  
  
Ryoko materialized at the top of the stairs with a rush of air, dressed in   
her form-fitting, black and red battle suit. Her face was contorted into a mask   
of absolute rage, her teeth clenched together as she stared at Jessen. Two small   
lines of wetness trailed down her cheeks from her eyes, telltale signs of the   
two tears she had allowed herself to shed earlier.  
  
Jessen's mouth pulled back into a small sneer as he looked the demoness   
over. "Stand down, Ryoko. I have no time to waste on you."  
  
The sharp hum of a bright orange energy saber forming in Ryoko's tightly   
gripped fist was the only response.  
  
*****  
  
Ayeka groaned as she awoke, wincing as the sharp stabbing of her headache   
pounded against her skull. Cracking open an eyelid, she quickly brought a hand   
up to shield her eyes from the intense white light that shone on her from above.   
With eyes still closed, Ayeka slowly pushed herself into a sitting position,   
noting the smooth metallic surface she had just been laying on. Her ears pricked   
up as she finally noticed the whirs and buzzes of electronic noise that seemed   
to come from all around her.  
  
"Hey there, sleepyhead!"  
  
Both the sudden appearence of the nasally cheerful voice and the overhead   
light clicking off caused Ayeka to jump slightly, but finally allowed her to   
open her eyes.  
  
"...Miss Washu?"  
  
The pink-haired scientist stood in front of Ayeka, flashing a confident   
grin.  
  
"That's right!"  
  
*****  
  
The fight had escalated quickly, shown by the large hole in the second-  
story wall that marked the two warrior's exit from the house. Chilling snow   
swirled around Jessen and Ryoko as they grappled in mid-air, quickly plummeting   
toward the ground. The bright energy saber in Ryoko's hand cut through the   
darkness as the two warriors fell, with Jessen's fierce grip on Ryoko's wrists   
the only thing preventing it from being driven into his face.   
  
Impact with the ground was disorienting. Snow exploded outward upon   
collision with a large snowdrift near the frozen lake, and visual contact with   
one another was lost. Ryoko landed squarely on her back, completely enveloped by   
the powdery white crystals. Snarling, she quickly shook off the pain of the blow   
and lunged to her feet, only to notice that Jessen no longer had ahold of her.   
She gritted her teeth and scanned the waist-high snow around her, using the   
orange luminescence from her sword as a search light.  
  
"You bastard!" the demoness yelled into the raging blizzard around her.   
"Face me!"  
  
And so he did. In the blink of an eye, Jessen lunged out from beneath the   
surface of the snow not two feet in front of Ryoko and drove his fist into her   
neck. Ryoko staggered backward from the sharp blow, her energy sword   
disappearing as she grabbed her neck and choked violently.  
  
"You need to listen to my advice more often, Ryoko," Jessen said, the   
powdery snow crystals cascading down from his shoulders and hair as he grabbed   
Ryoko's suit-collar in one hand. "You would be much better off."  
  
Jessen reared back, pulled Ryoko toward him, and slammed his fist into her   
face. Ryoko's head snapped back painfully, blood spurting from her nose as the   
fragile cartilage shattered from the impact.  
  
"Much better off indeed."  
  
Blow after forceful blow, the rapid fire attacks pounded away on the   
demoness. Ryoko was only able to sustain consciousness for a few seconds before   
the painful trauma finally caused her to black out. Unfortunately, Jessen didn't   
stop there; half a minute of continual abuse passed before he finally lowered   
his hand.  
  
"I hope you'll learn from this, if you wake up."  
  
Jessen looked down at his defeated foe, his grip on Ryoko's suit the only   
thing keeping the bloody and broken demoness from falling to the ground. He   
snorted, dropping Ryoko's limp form into the snowbank. Now that he was no longer   
distracted, he could retrieve his bag and leave before GP showed. He turned   
toward the Masaki house, halted in his tracks, and blinked at what he saw before   
him.  
  
"...no. Impossible."  
  
A figure was now standing between Jessen and the house, a brightly glowing   
sword held in his hands. A figure wearing the outfit of a Jurian warrior.  



	2. Chapter 2

Natural Selection: The Undoing of Heaven and Earth  
  
Chapter 2  
  
-----  
  
The blizzard seemed endless; the icy wind had only gotten stronger with   
the passing night, assaulting the two shadowed men that stood quietly in the   
knee-deep snow.  
  
"How are you still alive?" Jessen spat at the Jurian warrior in front of   
him, raising his voice to be heard above the howling wind.  
  
Pale blue light emanated from the glowing sword that the figure held in   
his hand, acting as a beacon in the darkness and casting eerie shadows across   
everything around it.  
  
"You are the one named Jessen. The unholy demon who committed   
unforgivable acts upon the royal family of Jurai."  
  
Jessen narrowed his eyes as the words reached his ears. The voice   
was obviously not of the boy, Tenchi; it was sharp, reserved, and held a   
self-commanding tone.   
  
"Hmph. You aren't Masaki," Jessen snorted dismissively.  
  
"I am not. Know that I am Kanrei Von Rau, the one who will be ending   
your blighted existence." He slowly brought his sword up in front of him and   
grasped it with both hands, pointing it at Jessen. The blue luminescence from the   
sword finally brought light upon the newcomer's face, revealing a visage filled   
with stern concentration. Four black stripes adorned his cheeks, two slashing   
across each. A black headband was wrapped around his forehead, and his   
long white hair was pulled off to the side of his head as the strong wind   
whipped it around.   
  
"Another vengeful, over-confident Jurian out for my blood. I have no   
time for you," Jessen sneered.  
  
"You will make time. I have waited far too long for this encounter."   
Kanrei brought his sword back into ready position, and darted forward at his   
foe.  
  
*****  
  
"Miss Washu!" Ayeka scrambled off of the short metal platform she was   
sitting on and grabbed Washu's shirt frantically. "You have to do something!   
Tenchi-- oh, Tenchi!" Ayeka halted her pleading and fell against Washu,   
breaking into tears as the realization hit her once again.  
  
"There there, child," Washu said soothingly, smiling to herself as she   
lowered both herself and Ayeka down to sit upon the floor. She hugged Ayeka   
tightly, smoothing her damp purple hair with one hand and holding the sobbing   
princess as only a mother knew how.  
  
"I could've done something," Ayeka moaned into Washu's shoulder, in   
between sobs. "I had the power to help, but I just let him-- Tenchi's dead, and   
now he can't-- I won't-- we aren't-- he'll never really know--"  
  
"Well now, who ever said that Tenchi was dead?"  
  
"He-- WHAT?" Ayeka's watery eyes snapped open, and she pushed   
herself away from Washu just enough to stare at her in disbelief. "But Jessen,   
he--"  
  
"He doesn't know as much as he thinks he does." Washu had a sly grin   
on her face as she stood up and pulled Ayeka to her feet. "Sorry for not telling   
you right away, but you looked like you needed to unbottle some more of those   
tears. 'sides, it serves you right for thinking I'd let my Tenchi get killed! You   
need to give a scientist of my caliber more credit! Now, wipe those eyes and   
turn around."  
  
Ayeka didn't move. Her muscles didn't want to function, as if they didn't   
believe what the ears had just heard. After a few more moments of hesitation on   
Ayeka's part, Washu finally just spun her around manually and gave her a light   
shove on the back, pushing her toward the back wall of the lab.  
  
Blinking her eyes rapidly, Ayeka took a few unsteady steps forward   
and looked out in front of her. A row of large glass tubes lined the metal wall,   
all filled with a bubbling green liquid. The tubes were all identical, save for the   
one in the middle of the row, which seemed to have a dark shadow floating   
within its confines. Ayeka took another step, then another, then finally ran the   
rest of the distance to the tube and pressed her hands against the glass, looking   
up into the murky fluid. Inside, the floating shadow slowly drifted forward,   
gaining definition and becoming more humanoid until the figure inside finally   
came up against the glass. The breath caught in Ayeka's throat as she saw   
what her heart had desperately hoped.  
  
"Tenchi..." Ayeka looked into Tenchi's face, almost not believing what   
she saw. It was truly him, and he was alive. Most of his body was tilted back   
into the tube and obscured in shadow, but the face was all that mattered. A   
mechanical breathing apparatus covered his head from the nose down, but his   
eyes were closed in peaceful slumber. Only for a moment was he visible, before   
slowly floating backward and again becoming obscured in shadow.  
  
"Thank you..." Ayeka whispered, leaning up against the tube and closing   
her eyes.  
  
*****  
  
Jessen leapt backwards as the bright blade of light in Kanrei's hands   
carved through the darkness in front of him. Landing in the snow a few yards   
back, Jessen skidded to a stop as he glared at his opponent and felt down the   
front of his clothing with one hand. The three-inch deep horizontal cut in the left   
edge of his leather duster was nothing, but the thin separation that was now in   
the abdomen of his black shirt was indication enough of how close the sword   
had come to spilling Jessen's intestines out into the night snow.  
  
"Stupid Jurian," Jessen said, turning his attention back upon Kanrei.   
"You wish to die that badly?"  
  
"Your words mean nothing to me, coward." Kanrei's voice was cold,   
seeming to disregard Jessen completely. "Know that while I still live, you will   
never go unhunted." He brought his sword back into a ready position, crouched   
slightly, then dashed at Jessen again.  
  
"So be it." Jessen spun to the side as the blue sword slashed downward,   
cleaving the air where he had just stood. Such an attack was fierce, but left the   
attacker open to retaliation, shown in painful detail as Jessen extended his arm   
and used the added force from his evasory spin to land a crushing backhand   
across Kanrei's temple. The power of the blow was such that it snapped   
Kanrei's head to the side and sent him sprawling into a nearby snow drift,   
almost completely masking him in the white powder. The sword Kanrei held   
flew out of his hand upon impact with the ground, spinning out into the snow   
and disappearing as the blue light blade winked out.  
  
"I should've expected as much." Jessen folded his arms calmly as the   
prone body of his fallen opponent shifted slightly under the snow. "You   
disappoint me, Jurian. I almost believed that you would put up a suitable fight."  
  
Snow cascaded down from Kanrei's shoulders as he slowly pushed   
himself up onto his hands and knees, turning his head toward Jessen. His teeth   
were clenched, and his eyes were ablaze with anger.  
  
"Oh, so you aren't quite done," Jessen said bemusedly. "Ready to   
actually try, now?"  
  
Without saying a single word, Kanrei leapt to his feet and rushed Jessen   
yet again, striking out at his face with a closed fist. Even though the attack was   
easily read, it came with such unexpected speed that Jessen was only barely   
able to throw his arm up to push it aside. The deflected fist shot past Jessen's   
head but still managed to clip his left ear, the force of the blow shattering the   
cartilage comprising the scapha and antihelix. Jessen grunted surprisedly at the   
small stab of pain, but was not so thrown off as to not retaliate. Grabbing   
Kanrei's extended arm with his left hand, Jessen lashed out with his right,   
aiming for a hand-stab to Kanrei's exposed throat.  
  
It was strange, how quiet the scene became at that moment. The wind   
had stopped completely, and the light snowflakes, now without anything altering   
their path, fell to the ground complacently. Far above in the sky, the cloud cover   
began to part and pull away from itself, signaling that the worst of the storm was   
over and allowing the bright moon to shine through and illuminate the land below.  
  
As the light intensified, the two fighters held their positions in the snow,   
their eyes adjusting to the sudden increase in visibility. Puffs of breath could   
finally be seen coming from both mouths, freezing instantly in the cold air before   
disappearing. Jessen stared into the eyes of his opponent with a mixture of   
disbelief and strenuous exertion marring his expression. An inch in front of   
Kanrei's throat, shaking slightly as it struggled to move, was Jessen's right hand,   
held in place by the unyielding grip of Kanrei's left.  
  
"You seem to be at a loss for words." Kanrei's sea-green eyes seemed   
ablaze with contempt as they returned the stare Jessen sent. He shifted his   
weight and pushed forward, shoving Jessen away from him and breaking the   
wrist-locks that they both held. "Perhaps you are not as strong as you believe."  
  
Jessen snorted as he halted his backward momentum and regained his   
balance. "And maybe the same goes for you. I'll just have to show you which   
belief is correct."  
  
"And so shall I."  
  
*****  
  
Washu's lab looked... different, now that Ayeka was in a mindset to   
notice such a thing. The usual ever-looming presence of machines and lights   
were very subdued; everything seemed to be in its normal place, but the lack   
of activity was definitely unusual. Out of the entire complex, it looked as if only   
a few vital pieces of machinery were operating normally. Ayeka slowly walked   
around, her mind still spinning uncontrollably from everything that had happened   
that night, until a soft voice grabbed her attention.  
  
"Tenchi..."  
  
"S.. Sasami!" Ayeka recognized the voice of her younger sister   
immediately, and whirled around until she caught sight of her. Not too far away   
from where Ayeka stood, Sasami lay upon a long metal bench, wrapped in a   
white blanket and curled up in a fetal position. Ayeka gasped and ran over to   
the bench, kneeling down next to Sasami and quickly looking over her. The   
young Jurian princess had her eyes closed in fitful sleep, her hands clutching   
the blanket and her face harboring a look of frightened urgency. She tossed   
and turned as she slept, her dreams obviously unpleasant ones. Her soft voice   
had reduced to an incomprehensible mumbling, with few decipherable words   
heard.  
  
"Washu? Washu! What happened to Sasami?" Ayeka called over to   
Washu frantically, who was now typing away on her smoky subspace laptop.  
  
"She had quite a mental shock, but she'll be fine. She was unfortunate   
enough to be in here when Tenchi was attacked, and saw the entire thing on the   
viewscreen." Washu gave her reply without looking up from her work, her   
fingers flying across the keyboard as if possessing a mind of their own. "The   
poor dear went into hysterics almost immediately. Understandable, really. I was   
forced to administer some mild sedatives so she would sleep. She'll be waking   
up soon, so it's a good thing you're here."  
  
Ayeka sighed in relief and hugged Sasami, brushing her long blue pigtails   
out of her face and kissing her on the forehead. She stood up slowly and   
returned to where Washu was working.  
  
"Now," Washu said, still typing rapidly. "First and foremost, is to find   
out exactly what Jessen did to disrupt my power supply. He obviously knew   
that I was here, and that I had the means to stop him before he could act."  
  
"But.. if you could've stopped him.." Ayeka really didn't want to blame   
Washu after everything she had done to help the situation, but a small trace of   
accusation still managed to worm it's way into her trailing voice.  
  
"Unfortunately, even the greatest scientific genius in the universe can't be   
everywhere at once. I was running tests on my recently-improved Sub-Ethereal   
Dimensional Vortex Generator, and was busy taking a lengthy data-collecting   
excursion on a planet that didn't have a raging blizzard on it. It wasn't until he   
threw the metaphoric wrench in my gears that I was even aware of his presence.   
Luckily, my safeguard systems brought me back as soon as the power started   
failing. I easily could've become trapped were I not so careful."  
  
"But what could he have done to disrupt your power?" Ayeka asked,   
somewhat relieved at Washu's answer.  
  
"Well, considering the weather conditions outside and the prolonged   
state of effect, the only thing he could've done was set up a very sophisticated   
and powerful device inside the house. It's strong enough to keep both my main   
and my backup power supplies down to almost nothing, yet it's precise enough   
to segregate the effect to my lab only. Since the power to the rest of the house   
was unaffected, everyone else was oblivious to his move."  
  
"Do you know what's capable of that?"  
  
"If I had to guess, I'd say it was something... like... that!" Washu   
triumphantly jabbed her index finger at the one of the viewscreens that floated   
in front of her.  
  
*****  
  
Zzrt. Zzzzzzzzzzzzt.  
  
A little silver creature skittered across the carpet of Masaki house's   
guest room, making it's way toward the large tripod set into the floor. The   
creature, standing at about four inches long and one inch high, could best be   
described as a small mechanical spider, it's spindly legs carrying it to the tripod   
and up the closest leg. Reaching the top of the bent-legged contraption, the   
spider examined the top of the spike. The small green holographic cube   
spinning on top was still there, turning slowly upon its pedestal. Seemingly   
satisfied, the spider scuttled about an inch down the spike, stopped, and   
wrapped its long legs around the thing cone of metal. Its position sufficiently   
anchored, the little metallic arachnid opened its pedipalps and chelicerae with   
a sharp click, before clamping them down upon the surface of the metal. A   
slight hissing sound came from the metal under the vice-like maw almost   
immediately, the silver turning a bright shade of orange and starting to smoke   
as the powerful laser cutters began to slowly melt through the spike. The cube   
resting atop the flat of the spike turned a dark shade of grey as it sensed the   
attack on it's systems, but was otherwise unreactive.  
  
*****  
  
"Finally," Washu exclaimed as she watched the viewscreen. "Several of   
my scouts have been scouring the house since the power failure. It's an EMP   
Spike, and reinforced, from the looks of it. The designs of the Spike's inner   
mechanics are both unique and practical, with numerous sections working in   
tangent with each other until damaged. When one section fails the other parts   
recognize the failure, cut off the tangent link, and continue running normally,   
albeit at a lesser strength. In other words, we'll be getting a percentage of our   
normal power back with each section put offline. At any rate, my little Spidey'll   
get through it soon enough, as soon as the rest of my helpers get there." Another   
screen popped into existence above Washu's laptop, showing a myriad of   
overlapping graphs and readouts. Washu quickly looked them over and typed   
another set of commands into her keyboard. Against the back wall, the tube to   
the left of Tenchi glowed brightly, then faded back to normal, containing a   
shadow similar to the one next to it. Ayeka turned around at the light, and   
squinted her eyes at the shadow.  
  
"Is that...?" She trailed off, already knowing that there was only one   
person left that it could be.  
  
"Ryoko, yes." Washu's tone was more serious then it had been all night.   
"Foolish child. She attacked Jessen after your encounter, knowing full well that   
without any of her energy jewels, she didn't even have a chance. He almost   
killed her because of it."   
  
"But why would she do such a thing?"  
  
"For the same reason that you called for Azaka and Kamidake, even   
though you knew how small a chance they had of subduing Jessen."  
  
Ayeka's gaze fell to the floor, her eyes welling up with tears as the   
memories of her guardians' deaths rushed back to her. They died for nothing,   
killed while trying to protect her from something that had no intention of harming   
her. Ayeka hated herself for freezing, for breaking down and quivering like a   
frightened child at the first sight of Jessen. Just like the first time he had been   
on Jurai.  
  
"Emotions are strong things, Ayeka," Washu continued, as if knowing   
exactly what was going through Ayeka's mind. "When something like that   
happens, minds don't work like they usually do. None of us can blame you   
for responding like tha--."  
  
"Miss Washu," Ayeka interrupted, quickly wiping her eyes and looking   
up from the floor. "Where's Jessen, right now?"  
  
Washu paused her workings for only a half-second, before continuing   
as if nothing had been said. She knew Ayeka wanted to change the subject,   
and there was no point in resisting. From deep within the bowels of the   
laboratory, the faraway sound of heavy machinery churning to life echoed off   
the nearby walls. "My scanners indicate that he's still somewhere close to the   
house. And since he obviously still thinks that Tenchi is dead, there must be   
some other extenuating circumstance that's prevented him from leaving."  
  
Upon the laptop viewscreen, what looked to be a feed from a security   
camera appeared, showing a top-down angle of the land between the house   
and the lake. As Washu and Ayeka watched, a slightly blurry close-up view of   
Jessen and Kanrei shifted across the screen quickly, only visible for a moment   
before passing off the side of the screen.  
  
"And that would seem to be it."  
  
*****  
  
The battle by the lake was at a one-sided standstill. Jessen's endless   
barrage of attacks had been ineffective, no matter how hard or how fast they   
were sent. Every punch was parried, every snow-churning kick was brushed   
aside, every feint was read, every attempt to push through Kanrei's defenses   
was thwarted. The white-haired Jurian hadn't allowed the successful landing of   
a single blow, but had also refrained from trying to capitalize on any opportunity   
to retaliate. He seemed content to just block and dodge every attack with the   
same contemptuous look on his face.  
  
"You fucking Jurian!" Jessen yelled angrily, his cool demeanor having   
already crumbled at his inability to do away with his foe. "Fight me!"  
  
Kanrei remained silent as he blocked the lunging punch coming toward   
him and ducked away from the follow-up spinning elbow thrown immediately   
after. With a few more evasory dodges backward, he had moved past the   
edge of the forest and into the trees. An errant left backhand by Jessen flew   
past Kanrei's face and smashed into one of the first trees, shattering a large   
hole into the trunk and sending a spray of wood splinters and bark flying.   
Taking another jump backward, Kanrei avoided the snow falling from the   
branches above him and waited for Jessen to continue his pursuit.  
  
"I..."  
  
But he didn't. Jessen was standing still, his balled fist pressed firmly   
against the hole it had created in the tree. His breath came out in ragged bursts   
from between his gritted teeth, and his right hand clenched and unclenched   
repeatedly.  
  
"I know what you're doing.. you're trying to draw me out.." Jessen   
stood up straight, and let his arms fall to his sides. His mouth slowly began to   
form into a very disheartening smile as he spoke. "Unable to kill me yourself,   
you think you can make me betray my position to the Galaxy Police."  
  
Kanrei narrowed his eyes as Jessen began to chuckle, tilting his head   
back to face the black and grey sky above him. The strangely soft laughter was   
devoid of joy, but still seemed to carry a distinct tone of satisfaction. Jessen   
brought his head back down and regarded Kanrei again, the same unnerving   
smile still upon his face.  
  
"Ohhh, you are interesting... one of the most interesting, by far. But   
sadly, you are still going to die, just like every other member of your disgusting   
rac—"  
  
Jessen halted his words abruptly, and a very faint beeping noise could   
suddenly be heard in the otherwise silent air. He quickly reached inside a   
pocket within the lining of his duster and pulled out a small metal rectangular   
controller of some kind, his eyes searching over the panel face before snapping   
up to look at Kanrei.  
  
"...you." Jessen stared into the Jurian's face for only a moment, before   
turning around and sprinting back in the direction of the house. Pointing the   
instrument at the house, he clicked a small button on the side before jamming   
the whole thing back into his duster's inside pocket. He cursed himself silently as   
he ran; he had been so caught up in the fight that he didn't even realize that his   
safeguard was being dismantled. Allowing himself to become so focused that   
he couldn't even hear his warning indicator had been a stupid move. Stupid   
enough to seriously jeopardize his situation, in fact.  
  
Half-glancing back, Jessen caught a slicing glint of white out of the   
corner of his eye and immediately lunged into a diving roll to the snowy ground,   
barely dodging the jumping spin kick that had been aimed at his head. As he   
came out of his tumble and rose into a squatting position, he twisted his body   
around and pushed off with his feet, propelling himself backward just as a   
vicious axe kick from his pursuer slashed mere inches from his face. Jessen hit   
the ground on his back and immediately tucked into a backward roll that not   
only pushed him to his feet, but gave him perfect position to defend against his   
assailant, who was still rushing toward him in an attempt to stop his retreat.  
  
"You Jurians don't know when to stop trying, do you?" Jessen spat,   
blocking the running punch that Kanrei threw as he came within range.  
  
"While I still live..."  
  
*****  
  
"I have three whole squadrons of troops ready to hunt this guy down,   
and we're just floating out here doing nothing! This is fucking bullshit, sir!"  
  
A small, sleek craft flew through the night air, only a few feet from the   
canopy of the forest below it. The intense moonlight shining from above   
reflected sharply upon the shiny black frame of the ship, casting a disorienting   
contrast against the endless white underneath. Snow was violently torn from   
the tops of the trees in the backwash of the flight, and a large line of bare   
branches trailed far behind the ship in marking of the route the ship had taken.  
  
"That's affirmative Lieutenant, but bullshit as it may be, you and your   
men are to hold position until ordered otherwise. 0315 has not been integrated   
yet, and unless in direct active pursuit of a criminal, entering such a planet's   
space without definite permission of the Jurian Council is a clear violation of   
GP regulation. Unfortunately for us, that damned group of bureaucrats seem to   
be dragging their asses about coming to a decision."  
  
Inside the small ship, the dash monitor was displaying several   
topographical maps and readouts, clicking through information while the internal   
computer automatically adjusted the ship's flight path. Beyond the display   
screens and a few status lights adorning some of the onboard mechanics, the   
cockpit was dark; the windshield and side windows were tinted to almost   
complete darkness, keeping the glaring moonlight from entering. The shadowed   
pilot of the craft sat silently in the single seat, remaining almost completely   
motionless as the radio continued to relay it's transmission.  
  
"Dammit! We KNOW he's down there, sir! Why haven't we gotten   
permission to track that fucker down?"  
  
"Sorry Lieutenant, but we have a no-show from the King, and we both   
know that we won't be getting any word from HQ till he appears. And we   
WILL NOT move until ordered to do so. So until that--"  
  
The radio cut out abruptly as the rest of the ship systems hummed to   
life, accompanied by a distinctly synthetic voice that emanated from the   
computer console.  
  
** APPROACHING TARGET ** BATTLE SYSTEMS INITIALIZING **  
  
*****  
  
Kanrei's vision exploded into glittering sparkles as a double-handed   
scoop of snow slammed into his face, driving him back a step as he tried to see   
his opponent through the distraction. The maneuver was obviously a   
diversionary tactic, but one he knew how to work around. Relying on a single   
sense meant death on the battlefield, and Kanrei knew it. Even as the snow hit   
his face, he could hear the sharp rustle of leather as it began to quickly move   
off to his left side, marking the motions as clearly as if he could see it. Vision still   
obscured, Kanrei lunged toward the sound, throwing his full strength into a   
vicious blind punch in the hopes of catching Jessen off guard.  
  
And he connected. The sound of his fist hitting it's target echoed in   
Kanrei's ears; the slap of flesh against leather, to be more precise. As the snow   
swept from his vision, he could see finally see the recipient of his attack: the   
empty frame of a black leather duster, flying in mid-air and wrapping around   
his arm from the force of impact.  
  
Relying on a single sense meant death on the battlefield, indeed.  
  
Kanrei's head exploded in pain as the thick heel of Jessen's right boot   
smashed into the back of his skull; the devastating jump kick sent him staggering   
forward, his vision blurring in and out of darkness as he stumbled, feebly trying   
to keep himself upright. Through his eyes, the world around him seemed to   
pulse and twist slowly, the sharp contrast of light between the white ground   
under him and the night sky above causing him even more disorientation. Inside   
Kanrei's spinning head, a harried voice managed to penetrate the layer of fog   
that had surrounded his mind, calling out in a desperate plea and urging him to   
snap out of his stupor. Easier thought than done, unfortunately.  
  
Jessen stood behind Kanrei, now without his leather duster, arms   
folded as he watched his opponent take a few unsteady steps before losing his   
balance and falling to his hands and knees in the snow. He slowly walked to   
Kanrei's side and looked down at him, a look of contempt coming onto his face.  
  
"Tricked so easily?" Jessen asked, his mocking voice berating his fallen   
opponent. "Perhaps you are not as clever as you first appeared. You must be   
kicking yourself for making such a foolhardy mistake. Please, allow me to help."  
  
Kanrei gasped in pain as Jessen's boot rammed into his stomach, raising   
him a few feet into the air before a mid-air stomp to his spine sent him smashing   
back into the ground. He choked weakly as he tried to regain the breath that   
had been forced from his lungs and feebly trying to get his muscles to work   
through the pain racking his body.   
  
"Such a waste of sentience." Jessen bent down and grabbed a thick   
handful of Kanrei's long white hair, pulling up harshly and yanking the alien   
warrior to his knees. "I think you finally need to die, Jurian. If you can muster   
the breath, I will give you the chance to state an objection."  
  
"EC-WARRANT #6392955."  
  
Jessen blinked as the booming, strangely-mechanical voice reached   
his ears, and he quickly looked up to locate the source of the sound.   
  
"BY THE ORDER OF THE JURIAN ROYAL COUNCIL AND   
THE GALAXY POLICE, YOU ARE PLACED UNDER ARREST."  
  
The waters in the middle of the lake chopped furiously, broken from   
their stillness by the force created from the hover-thrusters of the ship setting   
only a few feet above the surface. Under the moonlight's bright glow, the Galaxy   
Police insignias etched into the ship's side panels gleamed brightly, an obvious   
indication of the nature of the vessel. The sleek craft hung in the air,   
near-motionless as the announcement boomed from the external speakers,   
continuing its decree in the same emotionless tone. At the tip of the ship's nose,   
a small ball of white energy appeared, slowly but steadily growing larger and   
brighter.  
  
"No... " Jessen gritted his teeth and took a step back. He was backed   
into a corner now. Even with his battered, barely-conscious opponent held in   
front of him, he had let himself get forced into a cage, and had the Galaxy   
Police in front of him as concrete proof of such.  
  
"YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO RELINQUISH YOURSELF   
INTO GALAXY POLICE CUSTODY. RESISTANCE WILL RESULT IN   
THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE."  
  
He wouldn't be taken. Not again. He had to-- wait.  
  
"YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO SURRENDER. FIVE."  
  
Jessen was silent.  
  
"FOUR."  
  
Silent, perhaps, but not still. His eyes were darting left and right, quickly   
searching around his field of vision.  
  
"THREE."  
  
Ears perked, Jessen listened intently to anything and everything around   
him.  
  
"TWO."  
  
A single engine hum. A single GP vessel. A single threat.  
  
"ONE."  
  
The ship was alone. The GP fleet was still holding back. Which meant   
he could still suppress his location and avoid specific detection. Jessen inserted   
the index and middle fingers of his free hand into his mouth and blew a piercing,   
high-pitched whistle toward the other side of the lake. It was time to leave.  
  
"YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED."  
  
*****  
  
Crunch. Tear. Crack. Hew.  
  
Sitting within a sizeable clearing in the trees, what looked to be a large   
white-furred wolf feasted. The massive animal violently tore into the carcass of   
a recently-killed Japanese serow, eliciting the sickening sounds of snapping bone   
and ripping flesh that wafted through the air. Chomping down one last mouthful   
of meat, the deadly predator sat back onto its haunches, licking its blood-soaked   
maw contentedly.  
  
A small gust of wind chose that time to reach the clearing, carrying with   
it a sound barely audible to even a wolf's keen hearing. Regardless, the wolf   
pricked up it's ears and jumped to it's feet, tilting it's head slightly as it listened.   
Letting out a low growl, the pale wolf pushed off with its hind legs, leaping into   
a bounding run that took it quickly out of the clearing and off into the woods.  
  
*****  
  
The cold night air incinerated as a large beam of energy burst from the   
nose of the ship, casting a blinding light in all directions. Almost instantly, the   
cylinder of electric luminescence smashed into Jessen, enveloping him   
completely and causing him to be lost from view amidst the glow.  
  
** VISUAL CONFIRMATION LOST ** SENSOR   
CONFIRMATION LOST ** ENERGY DISPLACEMENT INTERFERING   
WITH INSTRUMENTS ** UNABLE TO CONFIRM ENEMY PRESENCE **  
  
Still sitting inside the ship's pilot seat, the pilot gripped the armrests   
as the entire vessel shook violently from the continued firing of the beam. The   
front windshield was entirely black now, tinted down to prevent the intense light   
from filtering through.  
  
** MAIN ENERGY RESERVES AT 24% ** INITIALIZING   
SHUTDOWN OF D-H DESTABILIZATION GENERATOR ** FULL   
INSTRUMENTAL STATUS TO NORMAL IN TWENTY SECONDS **   
  
The quassation of the ship began to subside as the massive beam started   
to flicker and grow smaller, both quickly reducing down to nothing. In the   
would-be silence that was left from the attack, the only sound audible was that   
of the thrusters humming, which grew even louder as the ones in the rear came   
to life and started to propel the ship towards the shoreline.  
  
** VISUALS RESTORED ** FULL INSTRUMENTAL STATUS   
TO NORMAL IN TEN SECONDS **  
  
As the windshield clicked back to transparency, the various viewscreens   
were already displaying the incomplete data streaming in from the ship's cameras   
about the effects of the attack. The ship trajectory was straight, reaching the   
shore and following the five-foot wide patch of bare ground that lay amidst the   
snow, which started at the lake and ended at a large tree that sat at the forest's   
edge. Resting between two thin swaths of dead grass, a tall drift of snow had   
built up against the tree, an indicator of where the energy beam had been   
blocked by something else; the something else was not hard to deduce, looking   
at the bare arm jutting from the bottom of the drift and lying motionless on the   
ground.  
  
** ALPHA ANALYSIS PERFORMED ** TARGET NEUTRALIZED   
** FULL INSTRUMENTAL STATUS TO NORMAL IN FIVE SECONDS **  
  
It was then, as if on cue, that the drift chose to burst outward in a shower   
of snow, marking the unveiling of two fast-moving bodies. Crystalline snow   
powder streamed off them as they raced toward the GP ship, quickly revealing   
an unharmed Jessen, holding the lifeless form of Kanrei in front of him as he ran.  
  
** TARGET ACTIVE ** TAKING EVASORY ACTION **  
  
Tossing his now-useless human shield to the side, Jessen continued his   
dash, not even glancing back as Kanrei fell to the ground and rolled to a stop in   
the snow, unmoving. His proximity to the ship allowed him only a few more   
strides before he jumped to intercept the moving ship; he deftly landed upon   
the black metal nose as the ship swerved to the side in its attempt to dodge.  
  
** FULL INSTRUMENTAL STATUS TO NORMAL ** SHIP   
UNDER ATTACK **  
  
A large, multi-branched crack lanced through the thick windshield of   
the ship, shooting outward from where Jessen's fist had connected. From inside   
the ship, the pilot's hands worked over the controls in a frenzy, activating the   
hefty metal blast guard that snapped down over the front glass just as Jessen   
struck again. The dull hollow echo of a blow hitting metal emanated throughout   
the ship, an echo which repeated itself again, AND again, each sound growing   
closer to each other as the heavy-handed punches increased in speed.  
  
** NON-SYSTEM ENERGY BANKS NEAR-MINIMUM **   
PRIMARY DEFENSIVE MATRIX UNAVAILABLE ** MAIN FLIGHT   
CONTROL SWITCHING TO MANUAL **  
  
Jessen halted his attack on the dent-peppered blast shield as the ship   
suddenly put on a burst of speed and turned hard, taking both of them back   
over the lake. Quickly gripping the curved ridge that reached out past the top   
of the windshield with both hands, he planted his feet firmly on either side of the   
ridge, crouched down, and held tight, sturdily anchoring himself to the ship just   
as the entire vessel started into a continuous tight barrel roll. The constantly   
rotating viewpoint and the shifting direction of the g-forces assaulting him were   
disorienting, but it wasn't hard for Jessen to gauge the large circle that the ship   
was traveling in, and after another second, the intent of the pilot along with it.   
  
** WARNING ** CHANGE OF FLIGHT PATH RECOMMENDED **  
  
In its short flight time, the ship had traversed the entirety of the lake   
edge, returned to where it had begun, and had reoriented itself, now aimed   
directly for the already damaged Masaki house and still increasing in velocity.  
  
** COLLISION IMMINENT ** BRACE FOR IMPACT **  
  
Jessen released his grip from his handhold and pushed off with his feet,   
launching himself from the ship just as it halted it's spin and slammed into the   
house. The mangled roar of snapping glass, metal, and wood followed Jessen   
as he cleared the edge of the roof, his forward momentum taking him over half   
its length before he finally landed on the snow-covered shingles and roll-skidded   
to the other side, stopping just before plummeting off into space. Vision still   
spinning slightly, Jessen steadied himself and looked down over the edge,   
searching for any indication of exit by the ship.  
  
The heavily-scratched front end of said vessel was exposed to the   
outside air, the force of impact having sent it crashing through the entire house   
before partially breaking through the final wall and stopping. Everything behind   
the covered windshield was hidden inside the house, but it was obvious that the   
entire ship was attempting to move out from the likely mounds of debris that   
was covering it. The blasting hum of the thrusters could be heard emanating   
from beyond the wall, and the undamaged wood around the ship creaked in   
protest as the ship struggled to wrench itself free from the faux-prison it had   
created.  
  
Perfect.  
  
** STRUCTURAL COMPOSITION AT 63% ** MOVEMENT   
OBSTRUCTED ** MINIMAL THRUSTER DAMAGE ** COCKPIT   
PRESSURIZATION UNABLE TO BE ATTAINED ** REPAIRS   
RECOMMENDED BEFORE INITIATING FLIGHT **  
  
Jessen hit the ground running, glancing behind him to look at the gaping   
wound in the side of the house where the GP ship had punched through the wall.   
A milky haze of smoke and dust had filled the air beyond the opening, making it   
all but impossible to make anything out inside. He quickly made his way back to   
where he had thrown Kanrei's body, crouching next to the motionless figure and   
yanking the black leather duster still wrapped around its arm.  
  
It really was fortunate how he had managed to keep the major trouble   
factors from coming into play so far. With so many unexpected problems   
complicating what had originally been a simple plan, the absence of the expected   
variables was a strange blessing. Careful execution of the necessary precautions   
beforehand had kept the Galaxy Police and Washu almost completely out of the   
picture with only brief interference by both; but even with that, too many things   
had jeopardized his status.  
  
Jessen let his half-sleeved duster rest on his shoulders, turning back   
toward the house as he reached into his inside pocket. From the pocket, he   
withdrew the same dull-grey remote that had warned him about the attack on   
his equipment earlier; the panel face was dim and blank, an indication of the   
defensive program he had activated previously. Jessen pointed the snub-antennaed   
controller towards the house, pushing in on the two indentations set into the   
sides. He knew that his employer would be most upset if any "unnecessary   
casualties", as they were so described, were created by detonating his equipment   
inside the house, but he wasn't worried. With the exception of the GP officer,   
Jessen knew that everyone else inside was almost certainly being protected by   
Washu at this point, depleted energy reserves or not. None of that mattered to   
him though, for with his objective complete, the only thing left to do was buy   
himself some more time and then leave.  
  
As if things were ever that easy.  
  
Jessen's abrupt scream of pain mirrored the low humming that came from   
behind him. His body arched forward as he fell to one knee, dropping his remote   
and reaching behind him with both hands to press against the damp, white hot   
line of fire that trailed up the right side of his back. The black duster slowly   
slipped from its resting spot upon Jessen's shoulders and fell to the snow, the   
long slice up the cloth opening up into a wide hole as it bent and hit the ground.   
Dark-red blood was flowing freely from the two-foot long wound that had been   
carved up the length of Jessen's back, only a few inches from his spine. His shirt   
and pants were quickly becoming soaked as the gooey liquid gushed down his   
back and trailed down his leg. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Jessen forced   
himself to his feet and spun around, bringing his blood-covered left hand back   
out in front of him.  
  
The pale blue light from the sword grasped in Kanrei's hand sputtered   
and died as the Jurian warrior dropped to his elbows and knees, the impact   
from the fall jolting the weapon from his weak grip. Kanrei's frozen breath came   
in shallow gasps as he slowly brought his head up to look at Jessen, his mouth   
twisted into a satisfied sneer.  
  
Jessen said nothing in response, his pain-contorted face and growling   
breaths conveying any words of anger and outrage that could've possibly been   
forced through his clenched teeth. He looked down at his bloody fist, watching   
the red droplets slowly congeal at the tips of his knuckles before falling to stain   
the snow below. Ignoring the burning pain that was tearing up his back, Jessen   
reached down and clamped his hand around Kanrei's neck, yanking him up in   
front of his face.  
  
"How.. does it feel?" Kanrei gurgled weakly, hands wrapped around   
Jessen's wrists as he struggled to breathe through the crushing grip on his throat.   
"To.. to finally see your own.. own.."  
  
"My own blood, for a change?" Jessen brought his right hand out from   
behind his back and dragged it across Kanrei's disgusted face, leaving a smear   
of the dark red liquid in its wake. "How little you truly know. It actually should   
be me asking you, exactly how, after all this time, the blood you thirsted for   
tastes?"  
  
"Drop him."  
  
Jessen paused, perking his ears to listen to the sounds coming from   
behind him. The swishing of feet walking through the powdery snow, coupled   
with two distinct high-pitched electronic whines, to be more precise.  
  
"I'm pointing two specially-calibrated D-H Destabalizers at the middle   
of your blood-soaked back, so unless you want a few more injuries, I suggest   
you do as you're told." The voice, though sharp, commanding, and slightly   
muffled, was unmistakably feminine.  
  
"Miss Galaxy Police officer, is it?"  
  
"DO IT!"  
  
At the sound of the weapon-safeties being clicked off, Jessen finally   
released his grasp on Kanrei, letting him fall back to the ground in a heap.  
  
"Now, put your hands up and turn around slowly."  
  
Clenching his teeth through the pain caused by moving the damaged   
back-muscles used by his right arm, Jessen brought both arms to the side and   
raised his bloody hands up to head-level, slowly rotating himself until he stood   
facing his captor.  
  
"Good."  
  
The woman confronting him was almost as tall as he, wearing a tight   
black and grey bodysuit that hugged her sufficiently well-proportioned body.   
Her black helmet encompassed her head completely, and the tinted visor set   
into the front kept her face obscured from view. Also, true to her word, she   
held a vaguely pistol-shaped gun in each hand, which were both aimed at the   
center of Jessen's chest. From fifteen feet away, a shot from those would get   
almost anyone.  
  
"Hmm." Jessen smiled slightly as he examined the woman, his eyes   
moving down to the thick pocketed belt wrapped around her waist and lower   
stomach, then lower to her snow-covered black calf-high boots, before returning   
his gaze back up to level. "Someone piloting a stripped and remodified version   
of the standard GP one-man fighter craft, wearing a slightly unorthodox 'uniform'   
completely lacking any sort of official ident, and packing heat that isn't exactly   
standard-issue. A bit strange for a Galaxy Police officer, wouldn't you agree?"  
  
"Quiet!" The moonlight glinted off of the silver guns as she took a step   
forward to assert her presence.  
  
"In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd guess that you were nothing more   
than some stupid no-name bounty hunter with stolen equipment and absolutely   
no knowledge of what you've really gotten yourself into."  
  
"I told you to shut your mouth, you BASTARD!" She took a few more   
steps forward, her guns starting to shake slightly in her gloved grip as she raised   
her aim up to point between Jessen's eyes. Her voice was tight and angry, and   
her breath came in ragged bursts as she spoke. "My name is Zeliali Bethels, and   
I WAS a Galaxy Police officer before I was thrown off the force!"  
  
"Zeliali... what a pretty name." Jessen's smile broadened. "So tell me,   
exactly why did they throw you off the force?"  
  
"YOU." The guns were shaking visibly now, as if an indication of the   
anger Zeliali was trying to hold back.  
  
"Me? Oh, that IS new. Of all the things I've done in my life, I think I   
would remember such an atrocious act as that."  
  
"Shut up.. SHUT UP!"  
  
Swishaswishaswishaswisha.  
  
"And I really would like to stand here and bleed while you tell that   
whole story, but I'm afraid that I must be leaving."  
  
"Bastard, you aren't going anywheRRRAAAAAAHHH!!"  
  
Zeliali's pain-filled scream rang out in conjunction with the animalistic   
growl of the large white wolf that had just slammed into her from behind,   
clamped its fangs down upon the back of the high-collar covering her neck,   
and dug its razor-sharp claws into her back. The two gunshots that came a   
split-second later manifested in two bolts of white light, bursting out from the   
barrels of the guns Zeliali held and missing their mark by half an inch, flying over   
Jessen's head as he ducked down and rushed forward toward his foe.  
  
The sound of Zeliali's helmet breaking echoed loudly in the night air;   
Zeliali's unwanted forward momentum from the wolf on her back had sent her   
right into Jessen's lunging uppercut, which connected with the chin of the helmet   
and sent a splintering crack up the middle, shattering the tinted visor in the   
process. Zeliali's head snapped back from the force of the blow as the two   
faux-halves of her helmet front broke apart, flashing only a split-second glimpse   
of a pale face before a swift kick to Zeliali's knees sent her crashing face-down   
to the snowy ground, pinned under the wolf's weight.  
  
"You lose, little rogue." Jessen looked down at Zeliali, who cringed and   
gasped as the growling wolf on her back sunk its claws even deeper into her   
flesh. "And thusly, I have a dilemma."  
  
Zeliali cried out in pain as Jessen's boot stomped down upon her left   
hand, snapping the small bones easily and breaking the gun she still held within   
her grasp. Her right hand suffered the same fate only a moment after, garnering   
the same response.  
  
"You see," Jessen said, crouching down next to Zeliali's head. "Killing   
you would obviously be the practical thing to do, but I find something very..   
strange.. about you." He grabbed the back of the broken helmet and yanked it   
from Zeliali's head, revealing a set of straight raven-black tresses that had been   
pulled back and tucked into the recesses of her bodysuit. "To think that a Galaxy   
Police officer, one thought to be trained in the workings of tactical procedure   
and efficient criminal apprehension methods, could be so driven as to try and   
take me down alone. You're the first GP in so many years to attempt such a   
thing, you know? I can't even remember how long it's been since one of you   
last tried that. The very thought of you doing so intrigues me."  
  
A solitary snowflake drifted past Jessen's face, slowly weaving its way   
through the windless air before softly landing in the snow. That flake was   
followed by another, then another, and then another, each of them as silent as   
the one before as they fell to the ground. Jessen raised his head to look upward;   
the clouds above them had already started to reform, pulling themselves together   
as they started to drop more and more of the crystalline powder down upon the   
land.  
  
"You'll have to tell me why, sometime."  
  
Jessen slowly pushed himself back to his feet, taking a deep breath to   
try and clear his head. His vision started to blur around the edges, but only for a   
moment before it snapped back into focus. He knew that he was beginning to   
suffer the effects of the massive blood loss and constant stress created from his   
wound; enough to kill both human and Jurian alike. Unfortunately, with the   
Galaxy Police encircling the planet, any attempt to fix his wound would bring   
them all down on his head and force him to take unwanted measures. He could   
finish his business easily enough without.  
  
"And now," Jessen said, slowly turning around. "I will deal with you."  
  
The pale-blue blade of the sword in Kanrei's hands snapped into   
existence with a low hum, illuminating the Jurian warrior as he once again forced   
himself to stand. His pallid face was haggard, wrought with a weariness that   
reflected upon his entire presence as he weakly forced his body into a ready   
stance. Even so, despite the worn muscles, taxed psyche, and destroyed pride,   
his eyes still burned with the determination of one who had been able to fight   
past the grasp of death and still manage to keep going. Hands tightly gripped   
upon his weapon, Kanrei sturdied himself, breathing heavily as he waited; he   
knew that, even injured, Jessen was more than a match for him in his current   
condition. He would not back down, but he knew that he needed a miracle to   
happen before he could even stand a chance.  
  
Of course, stranger things have happened.  
  
The burst of noise from the gunshot overshadowed Jessen's strangled   
yell, as the small metal gun barrel now protruding from Zeliali's left sleeve shot a   
beam of pure white energy point blank into Jessen's right boot, punching a   
half-inch wide hole through his ankle before exiting the other side and shooting   
off into the night.  
  
Even as Jessen began to fall, Kanrei began his charge. Even as Jessen   
spun in midair, lashing out with his left foot and clubbing Zeliali in the temple to   
knock her unconscious before she could bring her right arm around, Kanrei   
raised his weapon to strike. And even as Jessen hit the ground, Kanrei let out   
a yell of vengeance and stabbed downward at his foe with every last ounce of   
strength he had, the luminescent sword filling the air with bright blue light as   
each snowflake reflected the glowing intensity of the energy blade.  
  
And through it all, of course, the snow continued to fall. 


End file.
